Efficiency and Managerial Performance in FBS College Football: To the Employment and Succession Decisions, Which Matters the Most, Coaching or Recruiting?

Abstract

This article develops a model of managerial efficiency for National Collegiate Athletic Association's top division college football coaches. The derived efficiency measures are then linked to the hiring and firing process. The work concludes with an evaluation of the effect of head coach succession on team performance. This study evaluates coaching efficiency in terms of both use of talent and recruiting talent. The constructed efficiency rankings are used to evaluate hiring and firing decisions and determine the degree that each type of efficiency plays in these decisions. Last, the efficiency of the market is assessed by evaluating whether universities are making a good choice and are able on average to improve performance when replacing an underperforming coach. The empirical results indicate that both constructs of efficiency matter. Coaches who exhibit high level of both types of efficiencies regularly move up to the most lucrative jobs. Replacement of poor performing coach is most often a wise decision. © The Author(s) 2013.